While CurrentC consortium MCX’s contracts state that members cannot accept competing forms of mobile payment, Midwest grocery chain Meijer appears to be the first member to break ranks by continuing to allow NFC payment – including Apple Pay.

Michigan Live quotes spokesman Frank Guglielmi as saying that the chain’s 213 grocery and gas outlets have no plans to block Apple Pay.

We have had the technology in our stores to accept mobile wallets for several years now. If a customer has Apple Pay capability, our hardware works with it […] We don’t plan to remove or disable these systems.

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I think if they want to go forward and continue to accept Apple Pay, down the road at some point if they want to be a customer of MCX and roll out CurrentC and offer it to customers that’s great.

No, we don’t know what that means, either.

MCX yesterday said that it was “entirely possible” that members would be allowed to accept both CurrentC and Apple Pay at some unspecified point in the future, but gave no indication on whether or when this might in fact be the case. A blog post by the company has done little to reassure consumers, especially when followed by the revelation that MCX has already been hacked.

About the Author

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels published to date, and an SF novella series coming in March 2017.

Noticing Gas stations that accept NFC payments at the pump….its a confusing situation here in NJ where we’re not allowed to pump our own gas, and when we pull up, the attendants are sticking their greasy hands through the window to take our credit card….which they swipe and the either A) leave sticking out of the machine or B) POCKET. Yes POCKET. And walk away. Hopefully not accidentally giving your card to someone else.

I see an easy solution: repel that law and give people the freedom to get their own gas!

but if not, isn’t NFC the solution itself? No need to give the attendant anything, you just put your phone near the NFC reader… the reader would need to be corded so it can be close enough… or maybe everybody need to get one of those extendable claw thingy to reach the reader!

I actually thing NJ has gas pumping right. In theory, anyway. The people pumping the gas, should, again in theory, be trained. It is a hazardous chemical that we let any 15+ year old with a license handle. Not exactly a smart idea.

As a South Jersey person – I always get out of the car and hand them my card as I stand next to the pump. In that way, I’m there to collect my card as soon as it’s been read – as well as to “top off my tank” once the auto nozzle kicks-off. As I’m always buying gas at the same place (BJ’s Warehouse Club) most of the attendants know me and don’t have a problem with me really filling my tank.

As an aside – BJ’s had their own Visa card – but now they’ve switched over to MasterCard – as long as you pay with the BJ’s MasterCard, the price at the pump drops $0.10 per gallon. Sweet Deal – but the bank behind the new card is listed neither as Apple Pay nor CommerceC.

For saving ten cents a gallon and getting reward points for every dollar spent – I’m good with letting them swipe my card.

I’m in NY but NJ and OR have it right. The customers shouldn’t be pumping their own gas. Too many people don’t understand the concept of static electricity and set shit on fire pumping gas. The best solution (imo) would be something like the electronic toll tags many states use. Drive up to the pump and the reader overhead authorizes the tag and the attendant pumps the gas. That should hold us over till everyone’s driving a Tesla and we don’t need gas anymore lol.

89p13 - 3 years ago

BS – There are so many safeguards in place. About the only people who set things / themselves on fire are drunks / morons who are smoking!

Statists. Why don’t we stop people from being allowed to use cooking oil in their own homes too. And get rid of those propane tanks. Lets ban the right to have kids until you have a license. Statists gonna State.

Feel sorry for them?! I won’t shed one tear if MCX and their hacked CurrentC app go away forever.

What’s interesting is that the Meijer spokesperson pointed out they’ve been operating NFC readers for years and yet MCX didn’t react until Apple Pay came on the scene.

The fact that MCX didn’t feel the need to disable NFC readers until now is a clear sign that Google Wallet wasn’t viewed as a threat to their business, which says a lot about the strength of Apple’s market message and rate of consumer adoption compared to Google.

me too! I have never been to Meijer (don’t think I’ve even seen one) but every time I read about them in the news, they always seem to make the right decisions and be a company that cares… We could use more of those out here!

I used Apple Pay at Home Depot last night, but they’re not listed on Apple’s site. I’m curious why Apple doesn’t include all the places that allow NFC, as that would make the tech look far more pervasive than they’re currently suggesting.

Kudos to Meijer for coming out with a statement about Apple Pay continuing to be one of their payment options. Please support companies like this that offer the consumers their choice. We paid good money for our iPhone 6 to get this level of fingerprint authentication security. There are about 20 million of us in the US, so act and speak out against Walmart et al who are trying to elbow us out of the way!

Question, slightly off topic. I was in a Radio Shack yesterday and saw their credit card terminal had the NFC logo… took my iPhone and the charge went through without a problem but the card terminal still had me sign. Isn’t that last step supposed not happen when using Apple Pay.

On topic… I wonder if the MCX police are going to come down on Meijer…

I used to work there when I was 17 (roughly 23 years ago)… And hands down my favorite store to shop at. I have use my Apple pay there about four times in the last week (I know… I shop to much) and it has worked flawless. I have even returned one thing and it works incredible. I will continue to support the store and have avoided the stores that won’t support Apple pay!